# Héctor García-Molina

> Mexican computer scientist

**Wikidata**: [Q509556](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q509556)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Héctor_García-Molina)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/hector-garcia-molina

## Summary
Héctor García-Molina was a Mexican-American computer scientist and university professor. He was known for his work in computer science and his influential role as a faculty member at Stanford University and Princeton University, where he advised numerous doctoral students.

## Biography
- **Born**: 1954-11-15 in Monterrey
- **Died**: 2019-11-25 (Cause of death: cancer)
- **Nationality**: Mexico, United States
- **Education**: Stanford University, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education
- **Known for**: Influential academic work and advising in the field of computer science.
- **Employer(s)**: Princeton University, Stanford University
- **Field(s)**: Computer science

## Contributions
Héctor García-Molina's primary contributions were in the field of computer science, largely through his academic and advisory roles at Princeton University and Stanford University. His influence is evident in the large number of doctoral students he mentored, who have gone on to have their own careers in computer science. His doctoral advisor was Gio Wiederhold, and he, in turn, advised students who received their Ph.D.s from the 1980s through the early 2000s.

Some of his notable doctoral students include Susan B. Davidson, Daniel Barbará, Junghoo Cho (Ph.D. 2002), Kevin Chen-Chuan Chang (Ph.D. 2001), and Edward Y. Chang. Through his teaching and research guidance, García-Molina helped shape a generation of computer scientists and researchers, contributing to the intellectual lineage and advancement of the field. His work is recognized through his extensive list of academic identifiers and his election to prestigious engineering and scientific academies.

## FAQs
### Q: What was Héctor García-Molina's cause of death?
A: Héctor García-Molina died of cancer on November 25, 2019. His manner of death is listed as natural causes.

### Q: Which universities was Héctor García-Molina affiliated with?
A: He was a student at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education and Stanford University. As a faculty member and employer, he was affiliated with Princeton University and Stanford University.

### Q: Was Héctor García-Molina an ACM Fellow?
A: Yes, he was named an ACM Fellow by the Association for Computing Machinery in 1997.

## Why They Matter
Héctor García-Molina's significance lies in his profound and lasting impact on computer science education and research. As a professor at two of the world's leading computer science departments, Princeton and Stanford, he was instrumental in shaping the curriculum and research directions. His most tangible legacy is the generation of computer scientists he mentored. By advising a significant number of Ph.D. students, he propagated new ideas and research methodologies throughout academia and industry.

His importance is formally recognized by his peers through his election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2002), the National Academy of Engineering (2003), and his status as an ACM Fellow (1997). Without his contributions as an educator and advisor, the academic genealogy of many prominent researchers in areas like database systems and information retrieval would look very different. His work provided a foundational pillar for the students who would go on to develop new technologies and lead research in the digital age.

## Notable For
*   **ACM Fellow**: Elected as a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in 1997.
*   **National Academy of Engineering**: Elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2003.
*   **American Academy of Arts and Sciences**: Elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002.
*   **Honorary Doctorate**: Received an honorary doctorate from ETH Zürich in 2007.
*   **Prolific Doctoral Advisor**: Mentored numerous Ph.D. students at Princeton and Stanford who became established computer scientists, including Susan B. Davidson, Junghoo Cho, and Kevin Chen-Chuan Chang.

## Body
### ### Personal Information
*   **Full Name**: Héctor García-Molina
*   **Given Name**: Héctor
*   **Family Names**: García, Molina
*   **Date of Birth**: 1954-11-15
*   **Place of Birth**: Monterrey
*   **Date of Death**: 2019-11-25
*   **Cause of Death**: Cancer (natural causes)
*   **Citizenship**: Mexico, United States
*   **Residence**: United States

### ### Education and Academic Career
*   **Education**: Received degrees from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education and Stanford University.
*   **Employers**: Held faculty positions at Princeton University and Stanford University.
*   **Field of Work**: Computer Science
*   **Doctoral Advisor**: His Ph.D. advisor at Stanford University was Gio Wiederhold.

### ### Academic Influence and Students
Héctor García-Molina was the doctoral advisor for a number of computer scientists. His students from Princeton University include:
*   Ricardo Alfredo Cordon (1985)
*   Jack M. Kent (1985)
*   Frank M. Pittelli (1986)
*   Boris Kogan (1988)
*   Kenneth M. Salem (1989)
*   Robert Kilburn Abbott (1991)
*   Christopher Wade Clifton (1991)
*   Annemarie Spauster (1991)
*   Carl W. Staelin (1991)
*   Christos Polyzois (1992)
*   Anthony S. Tomasic (1994)
*   Chi Ming Kao (1995)
*   Susan B. Davidson

His students from Stanford University include:
*   Tak Woon Yan (1995)
*   Bradley Scott Adelberg (1997)
*   Ioannis G. Papakonstantinou (1997)
*   Steven Paul Ketchpel (1998)
*   Sudarshan Sudhir Chawathe (1999)
*   Wilburt Juan Labio (1999)
*   Ramana Venkata Yerneni (2001)
*   Kevin Chen-Chuan Chang (2001)
*   Junghoo Cho (2002)
*   Edward Y. Chang
*   Luis Gravano
*   Mor Naaman

### ### Awards and Honors
*   **ACM Fellow**: Awarded in 1997 by the Association for Computing Machinery.
*   **Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences**: Inducted in 2002.
*   **Member, National Academy of Engineering**: Inducted in 2003.
*   **Honorary Doctor of ETH Zürich**: Awarded in 2007.

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## References

1. Integrated Authority File
2. [Source](https://awards.acm.org/fellows/award-recipients)
3. [Source](https://inf.ethz.ch/de/departement/auszeichnungen-und-rankings/ehrendoktoren.html)
4. Mathematics Genealogy Project
5. [Source](https://stevenwhang.com/StevenWhang_CV.pdf)
6. Virtual International Authority File
7. CiNii Research
8. [Hector Garcia-Molina | American Academy of Arts and Sciences](https://www.amacad.org/person/hector-garcia-molina)
9. [Dr. Hector Garcia-Molina](https://www.nae.edu/30734/wd)
10. [Source](https://cs.stanford.edu/memoriam/professor-hector-garcia-molina)
11. [Source](https://tec.mx/es/noticias/monterrey/institucion/hector-garcia-molina-1954-2019-legado-de-sabiduria-y-trascendencia)
12. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
13. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File